Charge like Diablos! Forward to a better future
by Iridescent Isabelle
Summary: A newly married couple move to the New World to build a better future for themselves. Will their marriage be able to endure the obstacles they'll face?
1. Chapter 1 - introduction

Every ten years or so, a fleet departed from the Old World to the New. Several ships filled with supplies and hopeful young people. Adventurers, risking the perilous voyage with nothing but the hope for a better future. The New World was not a kind place, they've been told. Wildlife was as untamed as it could possibly be, or so they said. Whoever wished to leave their comfortable lives behind to try their luck in the New World was either incredibly brave or unbelievably stupid. Quite possibly both.

Abroad one of the ships, the ambiance was cheerful. The long journey was nearly over; they would reach the capital Astera by daybreak. Food had been rationed for the weeks, but a feast would be held tonight. Anyone not needed on deck would be there. Tonight was the last night the Fifth Fleet would be together like this. Tomorrow morning, each would go their own way.

Among those young, foolish people were Meira and Bergen. Despite being recently married, many would consider emigrating to Astera a poor choice of honeymoon and rest of their lives together. And so, having spent all of their money for passage on this ship, all they had was each other and the clothes on their backs. A true fresh start, though maybe not entirely willingly, settling in the dangerous and uncharted lands of the New World.

Surrounded by noise and beer sat our young, married couple. A curly redhead was propped against the hull of the ship, flicking through an old tome, which had, by no doubt, seen better days, judging from the several missing pages, as well as those that had been sewn back in. Across from her, a tall male stood, singing some sea shanty he vaguely knew the words of. The original lyrics had likely been lost, as the song changed every time it was sung. His brown beard had grown scruffy as shaving on a ship was altogether a bad plan.

A wave rocked the ship, causing Bergen as well as some other unfortunate party guests to stumble As a result, he spilled some beer over the book Meira had been reading. With a startled cry, she leapt up, fruitlessly trying to wipe the foamy liquid off.

"Oh no, oh no! Damn it! Be more careful, will you?!" She snapped at him, while squinting up to glare at him. Lit by only a few oil lanterns, the entire space was dark as twilight, comfortably so for the party goers.

"Take it easy, Meir. You've read that book tons of times by now. It's all you do. I'm sure you know it by heart," Bergen replied, grinning before drinking what's left of his beer.

Meira crossed her arms, still feeling a bit upset about the loss of the book, which was a soggy mess by now. The chapter on hazardous flora was nearly illegible by now. "Yeah, well… It's good to be prepared."

Bergen stroked her face, marvelling quietly once again at how soft she kept her skin, even on this ship. "You are, honey. No one will be able to beat the two of us. We'll make it in Astera. I promise you." He softly kissed her forehead.

With a sigh, she left the ruined book behind and allowed herself to be led well into the party. Dancing to music merely consisting of singing, clapping, and stomping, Meira couldn't help smiling as Bergen twirled her around. Many had called them crazy, but moments like this made the decision to emigrate to Astera worth it.

Light had not yet begun peeking through the porthole when the bells rang. "Land ahoy!" This phrase was shouted once and whispered among the passengers. Land ahoy. They were nearly there, and although the ending of one journey could be bittersweet, it had the ability to lead to another, bigger adventure. One that could muster more thrills and treasure than the one before.

Meira and Bergen shared a room. The space was small, and the bed was tiny. The only way for both of them to be under the sheets was to cuddle together quite cosily, a situation neither of them particularly minded. The bell toiling had woken Meira instantly, yet her husband did not seem to agree. With a groan, he tightened the arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Land ahoy, sweetheart. Time to get up," she whispered sweetly. Bergen groaned, nudging her braided hair aside to kiss her neck, causing Meira to giggle. Then she cast off the bedsheets and slid out of his embrace and out of bed. "Come on! We have less than an hour to get ready to move. Don't forget, we're rooming with Kaltain and Vulir, and I don't want the last to pick a bed. Come on!"

With a sigh, a headshake, and a fond smile, Bergen followed his wife out of the cabin and into their new life.


	2. Chapter 2 - new life

As they disembarked, the brightness of the sun blinded them at first. Slowly, Astera harbour came into view. Bergen reached for Meira's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze as they stared up the cliffs on which Astera perched. Built from disassembled ships, Astera resembled a massive treehouse. The ship busts, fashioned after heroes of the old times and the new standing together as if to help protect this land, now held up the trade yard. Up ahead, the forge was the only metal building, smoking as ever.

"Come along now, don't dawdle. There's plenty of time to look around later. Move along, everyone!" The guide to receive them announced. He was clad in leather armour, with a sword almost as long as him strapped to his back. Like a class of awestruck children on a school trip, the newcomers of the Fifth Fleet scuffled in a disorganized row up the stairs, some of their equipment clinking as they did. They gathered in the trade yard, surrounded by stockpiles and voyagers looking to buy and sell. Crates of citrus fruits that could not be grown in this land were stacked for future use. A nearby stall sold local tea leaves, dried and bundled. Up ahead was the canteen, with the smell of cooking meat in the air.

"First of all, welcome to Astera. We are happy to have all of you. I'm the commander here and this here," the white-haired man speaking gestured to the man who guided the newcomers up from the harbour. "This is the field team leader. Anyone going out will need his permission." The man with the tall sword nodded and the commander continued. "Life here isn't easy. You must work to earn your keep. We have no room for the lazy and the weak." A nervous shiver went through the crowd of newcomers. "But let us not worry about that right now. Find your assigned room, drop off your belongings and join us in the canteen for a breakfast feast!"

Bergen and Meira's quarters appeared to be located in the hull of one of the old ships, judging from the directions given to them. Light shone through the cracks of the neglected wood, and the entire place had strong, damp scent to it. Beds were hidden away by a ratty blanket, each that functioned as a curtain, accompanied by a crate refunctioned as a storage box. In the middle of the room, lumpy pillows were being fluffed by an elderly palico, a social cat-like creature that walked on its hind legs.

"Welcome Meowster and Meowstress! I am Spot, your housekeeper." The palico had a white coat that looked slightly yellow in the candlelight with not a single spot to be seen. A matriarch, possibly. "The others have not arrrrived yet. Please, make yourself at home!"

"I can't wait until we have a place for ourselves," Meira muttered as Spot wandered off slowly. "I knew we'd be having roommates, but this ship is falling apart! Look at it!" She gestured to the floor full of holes and the cracks in the ceiling. She paced back and forth, her nervous mind finding faults everywhere she looked.

"You want the corner bed here, honey?" Bergen asked, pulling aside one of the sheets to reveal a bed in a secluded corner, trying to redirect her mind to more present issues. "I could take this other one."

"Yes please," Meira sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist. Bergen dropped his duffle bag and kissed her on her forehead again. It gave him great pleasure to know his wife this well.

"It'll be alright. I told you this before, and I will tell you this as many times as you need to hear it. It'll be all right. The rent of this place is super low. It will allow us to get our bearings first."

"I love you, you know? You always know what to say. I'm sorry for freaking out," Meira smiled wryly.

"I love you too. We're in this together." He kissed her gently, as he had on the day they were married.

"Woah there!" A loud voice echoed through the quarters of the ship, forcing the two apart. A bear of a man came stomping in. His boots were plated, which served as an explanation for the noise. For some reason, the intruder did not feel the need to wear a shirt, revealing a broad, muscled torso and trousers fitting nicely around his narrow hips. He easily towered over Meira, who wasn't a tiny lady herself.

"Hi there," Meira tried greeting him cheerfully, holding out her hand. "You're one of our roommates, right? It's great to meet you. My name is-."

"Not important." The man interrupted her, slapping her hand away. From being this close to him, it was visible to Meira that the sides of his head were shaven and the remaining fair hair was braided over his head and down his back.

Bergen crossed his arms. "Wow, rude." The bare-chested guy simply shrugged, and tossed two heavy-looking hammers on one of the two remaining beds. Strapping a knife to his leg, he gave a sarcastic wave and left their quarters again.

"Well…" Meira started, at a loss for words. "Great start. His hammers reminded me of something, though. We still haven't picked up our weapons. I read the smithy gives out some weapons for free. Nothing special, just crafting experiments, but they should suffice for now to defend ourselves. Shall we go check it out?"

When Bergen agreed, they got ready to leave their quarters as well. Meira was hesitant to leave their stuff unattended, even though it wasn't much but she had no better option. The best she could do was to hide her stuff underneath her creaky bed.

At the smithy, it was reasonably busy. In the courtyard behind the smithy, several newcomers were trying out various weapons. The higher quality ones were undoubtedly gone.

"Oh boy, here we go," Meira muttered, ever the sceptic.

"It'll be fun! Let's see what we've got!" Bergen replied cheerfully, looking into the crates. There was a chipped axe, a hammer with a really short handle, and some other weapons that looked less than ideal. Bergen had wandered to the back, where a few bows were stalled. They were bigger than they should be, which suited a tall guy like Bergen quite well. They'd be much too big for Meira. "Yo, Meir. I'm not usually a bow kind of guy but look at this!"

"Huh, they look pretty cool," Meira said as she came closer. They picked out a few bows that looked good enough and headed over to the practice courtyard. There, Meira watched as Bergen clumsily shot a few arrows at the target in the wall. The first few didn't even hit, but that could be because of the bow. A mangy looking one seemed to be the best fit, as he managed to hit the target with it over and over.

"Won't last long, this one, but it'll be good practice." Bergen remarked, optimistic as ever. He seemed quite pleased to have found a free bow that worked for him. Meira didn't reply. She was watching a slender guy up ahead struggle with two short swords. He seemed too tall and lanky to have the grace required for them. It was vaguely amusing to watch him struggle. Eventually, he gave up and tossed the blades down. Rather than sticking satisfyingly into the ground, they bounced weakly and laid flat. With a groan, the man disappeared.

Quiet like a shadow, Meira moved in to snatch the blades off the ground. She did not wish any of the others to notice these matching blades. With her prize, she returned to Bergen, who hadn't notice her leave. He was still raving about that last shot he made, hitting so close to the centre of the target. The blades felt good in her hands, their weight was familiar. With these in her hands, her gait changed. She felt more confident, more powerful. Effortlessly, she slid into a few poses, both defensive and offensive.

"Could you do it?" A voice broke her concentration. Meira looked up to see Bergen look at her, bemused.

"Huh?" With her focus broken, she felt awfully aware of the people around her, watching her, judging her. Self-consciously, she wrapped her arms around her, mindful of the dull blades.

"Could you do it? Get in close and cut down a monster? I prefer you with the bow, instead."

Meira frowned at him. "You can't always protect me. I should be capable of fighting on my own."

"I know, I know. I'm not saying you're weak or need my protection. I just … I don't want to lose you, honey." He looked so sad that Meira couldn't resist hugging him.

"I trained with blades like these at home, in preparation for coming here. They feel good. I want to contribute to our life here, and I can do it with these. Besides," she added with a sweet smile "you've got my back, right?"

"Always." He tenderly kissed her forehead.

On their way back, with freshly sharpened blades and a re-strung bow, they checked the request board. Several notices were posted, requesting the slaying of monsters they hadn't met yet. It all felt incredibly overwhelming and terrifying.

"Oh hey, look at this one," Bergen said, pointing at a greasy one. In a messy script, with a paw print as sign, the Meowscular Chef, as he calls himself, asks for some hunters to pick him some gourmet shroomcaps. "Mushroom picking. Nice and easy to get to know the area. Not a lot of money, but it'll cover our dinner tonight and hopefully breakfast tomorrow too."

"Sounds good, let's do it!" They tore the notice off the broad and headed towards the exit, onwards to the ancient forest.


	3. Chapter 3 - ancient forest mushrooms

The fastest way into the ancient forest was hitching a ride on a wingdrake. A pair of domesticated mernos carried Meira and Bergen to a small clearing before they headed back to Astera, leaving them alone. Well, not quite alone. A pack of aptonoth grazed nearby, unbothered by the arrival of the hunters.

Clad in basic leather armour with their second-hand weapons, they stood hand in hand, staring at the height of the trees surrounding them. The air had a distinctly earthy scent to it, of soil and greenery. Birds chattered, aptonoth belted to each other, and occasionally, a larger monster screamed somewhere deep in the forest, reminding them of the danger that lurked in the forest.

"What do you think that was?" Meira asked when another scream could be heard, this time not far off. Uncertainty made her mentally go through all she had studied about the forest, even if the information that had been available was incomplete.

"Honestly? No clue. Shall we go find it?" Bergen replied with a teasing grin. He already knew her answer but loved teasing her so.

"What? No! We're here to pick mushrooms." Meira shrieked, causing some birds to startle and flee. The amateur archer laughed and picked up the woven basket they had brought for the mushrooms.

As they hiked through the ancient forest, they took the opportunity to get used to the locale. They marvelled at the humongous trees, several times taller than the tallest building they had ever seen. Their trunks were so wide, it would take a dozen people holding hands to surround it. They often had to scramble over fallen branches or step carefully to avoid tripping over roots. Bergen seemed to love it. He seemed at ease identifying potentially dangerous berries, simply by sight. His trained eye saw so much more than Meira's did, as she had specialised in books and documentation. Even as they walked, she had the current map open, making little notes and adding details they came across. Many parts weren't filled in yet, however. The blankness lured her, strangely. She wished to know what was there, one day.

They came upon a creek, one so minor it wasn't even on the map. As they knelt down to refill their water bottles, something shiny flitted by. Meira cried out in delight.

"You think we could catch some?" She asked excitedly, already imagining fresh fish, fried over a campfire.

"Maybe if we have to spend the night here, but I don't think that's necessary today. We nearly have what we need." Meira made a disappointed noise but agreed with him. Staying the night brought out the scary creatures, after all. "I have no doubt we'll have to spend the night here at some point, and then we'll catch fish for dinner," Bergen continued as he hoisted the half-filled mushroom basket over his shoulder.

Of course, they knew that this place consisted of more than just docile herbivores. One of such reminders came in the form of a pile of bones. An aptonoth, separated from its herd had met its demise deeper into the forest.

"Quite far from the fields we saw them before," Bergen remarked, looking around as to where it could have come from. Light impressions in the mossy growth suggested how the aptonoth stumbled here, possibly searching for a place to hide and recover.

"Whatever killed it was smaller than itself. Look at the scratches on the bones. Jagras?" Meira suggested, gesturing with her bare hand. She, unfortunately, did not own any gloves yet.

"The crawly lizards? Could be. Let's take the unbroken bones. If we're lucky, we can sell them, and we have the room in our packs, as we're only here for mushrooms."

"Yeah, those. They hunt in packs. And sure? If you'll carry them. I'll take the mushrooms from you, then." Bergen agreed easily and began stuffing his backpack, which was held together with patches. They'd need newer, bigger packs soon. As he collected some good bones to sell, unbothered by the fact they're a dead creature's bones, Meira scouted around. Within eyesight of her husband, she discovered an entrance to a cave. The numerous tracks near the entrance suggested jagras used this entrance regularly. There also was one set of much larger tracks, resembling an overgrown jagras. This could only be a Great Jagras, as the ecologists so eloquently named the jagras patriarch.

"Hey Berg," Meira said quietly. Bergen stood up and came to stand next to her, checking out what she found.

"That looks like trouble," he agreed. "Let's not wake them. We have no quarrel with them today, so I do not wish to slaughter needlessly."

Relieved, Meira nodded. Unbothered but not unnoticed, they left the cave for another day.

The sun had nearly set by the time Meira and Bergen made their way back to Astera. They first passed by the smithy and sold the bones they had picked for a meagre sum. A small coin per bone, which would barely pay for breakfast. The "Meowscular Chef" turned out to be an unusually tall palico, with equal passion for lifting weights and cooking. He accepted the gourmet shroom caps without a fuss and paid them a good sum for them, significantly more than the smith had paid them. This confirmed Meira's hunch that quests paid much better than random foraging.

As they sat down for dinner, which was a roast haunch of unnamed meat with roasted potatoes and veggies, there was a slight uneasiness in town. Two of the newest hunters of the Fifth Fleet had been badly poisoned by a large monster in the ancient forest. Rumour went they weren't doing well and might pass away. Meira sighed sadly.

"You think we knew them?"

Bergen took the time to chew and swallow. "Possibly. Don't worry so much, Meir. This happens. I assume they were rash and challenged one of those bigger monsters, like a pukei pukei, for the prime reward they pay for its corpse. Those researchers pay a lot for pukei pukei poison glands. They make antidotes from it or something." He took another big bite, seemingly unconcerned but Meira couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling. It could have been them who encountered a monster like that.

This mood lingered for Meira even when dinner was done. Bergen, wordlessly, reached for her hand and squeezed it affirmatively. He only let go when they entered their mass housing so he could sit on his cot and take off his boots. Quietly, Meira looked around the room, at the fading light shining through the gaps in the ceiling and down the holes in the ceiling, where she could catch glimpses of another shared room below theirs. All over the refurbished ship, voices could be heard, whispering, chatting, shouting. It never seemed truly quiet here.

Their roommates had been home at some point. The big brute had a huge axe on his bed, which looked much heavier than anything Meira could carry. The other cot had been visited, too; the threadbare curtain had been replaced by a large scarf in midnight blue, which faintly smelled like some sort of incense. The scent was strangely comforting in this foreign place.

"Honey, come here," Bergen said quietly. He sat on the bed and held out his hand for her. She gave him a gentle smile and stepped over, letting herself be snuggled against his chest. Skilfully, he manoeuvred both of them so they laid on their sides and he cuddled her from behind. One arm snug under her neck and the other was cast over her waist. They had done this so often that they moved into this position smoothly, knowing what moves the other was going to make. He tightened his arms around her torso and cuddled her against his chest, kissing the side of her neck tenderly. He held her like this, keeping each other warm as they listened to the argument of their below-neighbours, laughing quietly at times. It took a small while, but she felt better. When he felt her relax, he loosened his hold on her and instead idly rubbed her side with his upper arm.

Their romantic moment was broken when the door was forcefully kicked open. With loud, stomping footsteps, their axe-bearing roommate came home, accompanied by the smell of cheap beer. The same gruff guy who refused to introduce himself earlier, now sang as he kicked off his boots, somehow walking around just as loudly without them. Wishing to avoid an argument, Meira stayed quietly on Bergen's cot, waiting for the man to either leave or go to sleep. The latter happened not long after. Only when he started snorting, as loudly as his stomping and his singing, did Meira slip away, but not before kissing her husband good night. The cots simply did not have enough room for both of them to sleep together.

Feeling cold without Bergen, Meira shivered under her thin blanket, listening to Bergen's deep breathing and the brute's snoring. Eventually, sleep came for her as well.


	4. Chapter 4 - Jagras hunting

Chapter 4 – Jagras hunting

After having suffered restless dreams all night, Meira gave up on sleep shortly before dawn. As she made her way out of the ship in which she had a cot, she took a moment to notice the sky brightening from the pitch black it had been as the sun was beginning its ascent. At the canteen, several palicos had already begun preparation for breakfast. They were grilling sausages, breaking open large eggs, and cutting all kinds of fruits. Money was a tad scarce, but one of the palico chefs handed her a mug with hot water and some leaves. Mint, by the smell of it. She gave the cat a grateful smile and made her way to one of the lower decks where not a lot of people seemed to come. There she sat on the ground, rested her back against a pillar, and watched the sky brighten in a wide array of colours, going from a beautiful shade of pink, to orange, eventually to light blue. It reminded her of the beauty that was left in the world they were in. Masking a yawn with the back of her hand, she did not get up after she finished her drink. The world seemed rather quiet now and Meira wished to enjoy it slightly longer.

Behind her, the first people began to arrive at their stations. They carried notebooks, consulted large tomes, and compared notes. Meira assumed them to be the ecologists, whose research department was responsible for the writing of the new world guidebook Meira had studied by heart. She got up and made her way to them, slowly as if approaching a flock of birds. They did not seem to notice her. A bit deeper underneath Astera, they had several empty cages, each with claw marks, scorch marks, or otherwise damaged by some monster. Still, the iron structures seemed solid, possibly made by the local smithy. On every possible empty wall, they had pinned sketches of Jagras and their patriarch Great Jagras. There were also sketches, varying in level of detail, on other monsters that could be found on this island. Driven by a morbid curiosity, she sought out the Pukei Pukei, which was rumoured to be responsible for the deaths of two of the newest hunters. There it was. Long tongue, long tail, and wings as well. A flying amphibian, it seemed. Its bulging eyes gave Meira the shivers.

Closer to the centre of Astera, some ecologists were discussing animatedly around a small sapling. The poor thing barely consisted of a sprig with a single budding leaf, yet the early waking ecologists treated it as the most important living creature in this entire town. Nearby notes described it as an offshoot of the elder tree, which, Meira knew, was the biggest and most important tree of the entire continent they were on. All life originated from that tree, or so current theories went.

A board Meira had overlooked amidst all the sketches contained various requests placed by the ecologists to help them in their research, unlike the requests from the smithy for materials, from the chef for edibles, or from the headmaster for security. Many of these requests asked for creatures Meira had never seen before and wouldn't even know where to begin searching for them. But one request seemed doable enough. They needed three Jagras, freshly killed, for their brains. A small note underneath said that if they were to help with the skinning, they could have all the other materials for themselves as a secondary reward. Taking a decision for the team, she grabbed the paper from the board and headed back to Bergen. The sun was well up, and Meira felt hungry again.

Back at the dorm, their loud roommate had left already, judging from the lack of snoring. Kneeling in front of Bergen's cot, she brushed her hand over his upper leg to lightly wake him and then pressed her lips against his. His morning breath couldn't even ruin the pleasure to kissing him. When his hand reached up to tangle in her hair, she knew he was properly awake. She kissed him for a moment longer before pulling back. His sleepy smile made her stomach clench in love. Smiling fondly back at him, she kissed him on the forehead and sat back, holding out the request. He sat up, took the paper and read through it. As he did so, Meira gently brushed her hand over his bare chest, feeling the texture of his chest hair against her fingers. He squirmed and swatted her fingers away. With a giggle, she sat back and let him read.

"Well, what do you think?"

"Killing three Jagras? No problem at all. The money isn't too great, tho."

Meira nodded. "True, but the materials could be worth it. We could get more familiar with the ancient forest while doing it, and I like helping the researchers."

"I know, honey. I'm down. Let's go get some breakfast and we'll head out." Bergen worked his way out of the small cot and stretched.

"Maybe put on a shirt, too?" She grinned in appreciation, crossing her arms as she enjoyed the view.

"You think? Oh well," he sighed dramatically and grabbed a shirt from the ground. He gave yesterday's shirt a sniff, shrugged, and put it on. Then he wrapped his arm around her, gave her a big kiss on her temple, and headed out with her.

Breakfast was fried eggs, ham, and some of the mushrooms they had gathered yesterday. Knowing they helped stock the canteen made the meal taste even better. All around them sat young hunters, fresh from the Fifth Fleet, and eager to begin their day. Most sat in groups of four, likely with those they boarded with, while only several sat alone. Hunting alone was discouraged, Meira had read in the information pamphlet, distributed by recruiters in the Old World.

At the exit towards the forest, a large crate stood. One of the provisions managers asked to see their mission and gave them a few free supplies for going out. Bandages, green potions that disinfected and stimulated healing, dried meat, and a small whetstone for Meira's blades. Bergen thanked him with a smile and a handshake, and then headed out.

Well-rested and filled with fresh courage, Bergan and Meira set off towards the ancient forest once again. The tall trees seemed less imposing now. The shade brought a respite from the summery warmth that was inescapable in Astera. Bergen seemed especially happy; he identified Jagras tracks and could even distinguish them from the ones the docile Aptonoth left behind. Suddenly, Bergen grabbed Meira by her hand, halting her in her tracks.

"Shh," he whispered and pointed ahead. The redhead squinted to see what he saw. Only then did she hear the belt.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Aptonoth? They were supposed to roam here as well, but we hadn't spotted them yet. See those skulls on the big ones? Those are the males, by the way. They fight by headbutting with that big skull. Packs quite a punch, or so I've read. Supposedly enough to knock a hunter out."

"Cool! Let's approach them!" Bergen whispered with a grin and crouched forward. With a sigh and a shake of her head, Meira followed. She rubbed the bare skin of her forearms, where a few bugs had landed, attracted to the unprotected skin. It would soon be time to get her some gloves and braces. Bergen had one glove, to protect his fingers while wielding the bow. She hoped to buy some with the money of this assignment.

From a safe distance, Meira sketched the tracks left by the Aptonoth. She needed Bergen's help to spot them, but once she had her eye on them, the sketch came easily. Maybe the researchers would buy some of her sketches?

"I wish I could draw like you, Meir," Bergen lamented quietly, making his wife smile.

"Practice makes perfect, honey. But without you, I wouldn't have anything to sketch. Your eye for these things is amazing." Bergen shrugged, slightly bashful, and didn't reply. His eyes already scanned the surroundings for their objective.

"I think we should put some distance between us and those Aptonoth. I don't think they're a prey the Jagras go for and therefore, we won't find any nearby them." Meira made a thoughtful sound but followed easily, creeping away until they were out of earshot. Not too long after, they found a similar cave system as they had before. The narrow scratches in the ground indicated the Jagras claws. The earth seemed freshly overturned so the Jagras weren't far, likely.

Something tightened in Meira's tummy as she unsheathed her dual blades for the first time since picking them. This was it. She really was going to kill something. She had to, if she were to survive in the new world. Her sketches wouldn't support them.

As Bergen grabbed an arrow and loosely notched it on his bow, Meira knelt down to run her whetstone over the blades once more, despite the blades already being as sharp as they would likely be. They weren't too high quality and wouldn't be able to slice through scales as easily as they would through butter, although the idea of using a blade as long as her forearm on butter was ridiculous.

Distracted as she was, she failed to notice the Jagras creeping up on her, until she was sharply tugged back by her braid. With a shriek, she lost her balance and fell back. At that same instant, another Jagras burst through the foliage and lunged at her throat. Only basic combat training made her protect herself by raising her left arm. Sharp teeth sank into her unprotected forearm instead of her exposed throat. Still, the pain made her scream as blood ran down her arm onto her tangled legs and discarded whetstone.

With a twang, an arrow embedded itself into the eye of the Jagras biting her, causing its hold to slacken. Grabbing the nose with her right hand, Meira pried open the dead Jagras's jaw and freed herself. With a quick spin, she grabbed one of her blades from where she dropped it in shock, and swung at the Jagras behind her, who had released her hair. Her swing hit true and caused a deep cut in its neck. Another hack, and its head was off. Panting hard from adrenaline, Meira stared at the twitching, decapitated body and with a sneer, she gave it a good kick. Tears of humiliation and pain ran down her cheeks.

Behind her, Bergen skins the Jagras taken down by him and goes to look for the other one, giving Meira a short moment to compose herself. Wiping her tears angrily caused red smears on her face from her bleeding arm. Bergen returned after a short while, without the second Jagras skin but with a beckon to follow him. Sniffling, Meira followed him, watching the leather bag her husband carried, filled with teeth, claws, and one intact skin.

He had found them an abandoned nest, burrowed into one of the trees. A grapple hook embedded in the wood above the opening got them in easily and protected them from any other predators. There, Bergen washed out the wound, rubbed it with a green potion they had received upon entering the ancient forest, and bound the wound with a bandage. Only then did he pull her against his chest and rocked her as she cried. This whole time, he was silent, rubbing her back and caring for her.

"Want to go back?" he asked quietly. Meira shook her head stubbornly. The weight of her braid swinging back and forth made her cringe. The memory of the Jagras hanging from it was fresh in her mind.

"No. We still need two more skins to finish the assignment."

"Go home, I meant. The old world. Hot baths, comfy beds..."

Meira sighed. "But also, awful jobs and impossible housing prices. We would be homeless if we go back. No, I don't want to leave yet. This is our life now, and it is time to be serious about it. Astera is beautiful and there's a place for us here. That headshot was crazy, by the way."

Bergen allowed a small, proud smile. "I really did that." Meira nodded.

"Totally. You rock." She punched his shoulder playfully and hissed in pain. "Ouch. Wrong arm."

"You took the head off that Jagras, bleeding and with only one of your blades. You looked so badass, sweetheart!" Bergen exclaimed, mimicking the twirl she had done to get that attacker off her, making Meira laugh a bit.

"I love you, Berg."

"Love you too." He cupped her cheek and kissed her slowly. He broke away and pressed his forehead against hers. "You're alright. We're alright. I'm so proud of you."

His words made her lower lip wobble again and she pulled him into a tight hug. When she's got her emotions under control again, she sat back, grabbed a bit of dried meat and chewed thoughtfully.

"We could work together more," she said in between bites. "It sounds obvious, but hear me out. I'm close combat, so I draw their attention. They'll likely try to ambush again, but this time, I'll be prepared. What if you're in the background, arrow notched, ready for more of those headshots? They will be too focussed on me, leaving themselves entirely open to you."

Bergen frowned. "I don't like it. How am I to protect you when you're playing bait?"

"Because you're no good in close quarters and I am rather useless if I'm not within arm's reach."

Bergen sighed. "I hate it, but it's solid. Please be careful, sweetheart. I've got your back. We'll take these little bastards down." Meira smiled and kissed his nose.

"We only need two more. Then we can go back, claim the reward, and spend the rest of the evening together." The look of interest on Bergen's face made her giggle. She secured the bandage on her arm, tested its flexibility, winced, and grabbed her weapons. "Let's do this."

Bergen shook his head at her. "And you call me stubborn." Meira gave him a smile and used the grapple hook to swing out of their protective nest.

Together they prowled the forest, kneeling deep in the mud to hide their scents. Jagras hunted in packs larger than what they could handle. A band of four hunters would be much safer, but they did not have that luxury right now. When they discovered three secluded from the main pack, they went for it.

With her blades out, Meira approached them slowly. The Jagras noticed her quickly, turned towards her and hissed, reminding her more of cats than lizards of death. With her blades outstretched, she appeared a much larger foe than she was. Meanwhile, Bergen crept to flank them. Despite his tall frame, no leaf rustled and no branch cracked. Making little clicks with her mouth, an improvisation on her side to keep their attention, she waited for Bergen to make the first shot or for the Jagras to attack. Twang! There it was. The Jagras on her right fell down with an arrow going in one eye and going out through the other. The force of the blow knocked the creature into the middle Jagras. Taking advantage of this, Meira attacked the leftmost Jagras with her dual blades, decapitating it with ease now that she was familiar with how much pressure was required. The middle Jagras crawled from underneath the body of their fallen kin, but before it could flee, another arrow from Bergen took it down. This one hit it through its earhole, slightly off mark but still lethal.

"Curse these arrows!" Bergen exclaimed, coming out from his hiding spot. "How am I to fire at anything with arrow this poorly crafted?"

Meira wiped the blood of her blades and reached for her carving knife. "Can you craft better ones?"

"Of course I can. I just don't have the materials." He looked up and made a disappointed sound. "It's getting dark soon. No time to hunt for feathers today." A deep roar sounded from the nearby cave systems, chasing away any birds that might have been easy pickings for Bergen. "Ah shit. Let's finish this up and get the hell out of here. I do not want to deal with the big one today."

With a bag full of valuable gore, they rushed towards the Mernos point that would take them out of the ancient forest. By the time the winged drakes landed near Astera, the sun had gone down. Wordlessly, Meira and Bergen rushed over to the research department. Only two ecologists were still around. One of them was small and ancient, with a long beard draped over a nearby stack of books. He appeared to be asleep, judging from the snores. The other one was young and Meira's height. When the two hunters approached him, he stumbled and dropped the papers he was holding. As Meira reached out to help him, she saw how filthy she was: her hands were caked with blood and mud. Her nails were black-rimmed and would undoubtedly leave stains on the papers. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Meira stepped back.

"We would like to report a quest as completed. Three Jagras, freshly killed." Bergen overturned a nearby fruit bowl and deposited the Jagras brains in it. The squishy sounds they made made Meira wince.

"A-ah, thank you, hunter." The ecologist nodded, hardly looking at the brains and withdrew a small purse of coins. "Your reward. Good work."

"Thanks." Bergen took the coins and walked off with the leftover materials. Wherever he stepped, muddy footprints remained.

"Well, ehm, have a good night." Meira smiled yet the ecologist did not look at her. Slightly dejected, she rushed after Bergen. At their dorm, Bergen dropped the bag of loot against the side of his bed and stored his weapons. He didn't speak much to Meira and mostly kept his back to her. Without their armour, they headed to the common pools together. In the dark, during dinner time, the pools were thankfully abandoned. Bathing around others still made Meira uncomfortable. From nearby, a small waterfall supplied fresh water from one of the mountains in the distance, and over the edge of the pool, the surplus of water was discarded into the sea. As awfully exposed as these pools were, the view was amazing. It looked straight out over sea, with uncountable stars and the occasional sea creature breaching the water surface below.

Out of sight as much as possible, Meira took off her thin clothing and hastily climbed into the water. The frigidity made her gasp sharply. Within a blink of an eye, Bergen was in the water with her, concern written all over his face.

"I-I'm fine. The water is so cold." She dared a little smile, even though she shivered like a leaf. Nodding, Bergen undressed as well, unbothered who might see him, and climbed in as well. In the meantime, Meira had curled her hair into a bun on top of her head. There were a few natural stone steps in the pool but they were too deep for Meira to sit comfortably on them, unless…

She swam over to Bergen, who sat on one of such seats and was scrubbing his face with the icy water. She slid in between his arms and sat on his thigh, keeping her injured forearm out of the water by wrapping it around his shoulders. His skin felt so warm compared to hers, so she snuggled close and sighed deeply.

"Do you regret it?" Bergen asked, quite suddenly. Without opening her eyes, Meira asked what he meant. "Marrying me."

That made her open her eyes and look at him with a frown. He looked dead serious as well, with that slightly sad look on his face. "What makes you think that?"

"You could have been an ecologist like that welp back there. Now you're stuck hunting with me." He shrugged, not looking at her. "It even got you injured."

"Oh honey," she sighed and turned his face towards her to kiss him. "No, I do not regret trading a life of paper and ink and books and backaches and snooty old men, for this thrill and excitement and you. Gods above, you alone make it all worth it."

A small, pleased smile curled on Bergen's lips and he hugged her close. "There was a bit of soap left," he revealed, holding the slightest sliver of soap. "Let me take care of you."

And so he did. He made sure every part of her was soaped up and free of mud or blood. He even rinsed out her wound and rebound it. Then he made love to her until she forgot how cold the water was or that anyone could have seen them.

Cuddled together under both their sheets, they shared a fruit pie they bought with the money they had earned. A rare, sweet treat, made even sweeter by the giddiness of love. They slept together in her bed, most away from their roommates. Their gear and skins laid unminded near Bergen's bed, temporarily forgotten. Even the stink of the skins didn't bother them that night.


End file.
